Pro's & Con's of tubed Cigars

[Ron1369]

I wanted to see what other cigar smokers thoughts were on a cigar that comes in a tube, do you feel that the cigar sold in tubes are a better cigar or do you think that it makes no difference at all?

Who feels there is a benefit to a cigar that comes in it's own tube and who thinks that there is no difference at all in the smoke they put in tubes?

[Tarks]

Pros - They age better in the tube. They are less likely to get damaged.
Cons - They are more expensive. They take up more room.

[fuente~fuente]

Ditto what Tarks said.

[Snake Hips]

Pros: Better aging, better protection, better to look at, and in the case of Cubans, often better tasting.

Cons: Can be somewhat prone to mold, usually a bit more expensive and boxes of them take up much more room.

[Shervin]

In a humidor it's wise to remove the top from the tube to allow air flow to penetrate (ha, I said penetrate) the cigar, the only pro is that its not as likely to get damaged IMO, the con's is a dry cigar if you forget to take off the cap in a humi and they are a bit more expensive than cigars that don't come in a tube, that's as far as the pro's and con's go.

[GlockG23]

Originally Posted by Snake Hips

Pros: Better aging, better protection, better to look at, and in the case of Cubans, often better tasting.

Cons: Can be somewhat prone to mold, usually a bit more expensive and boxes of them take up much more room.

I agree with this post
but would like to put more emphasis on "Can be somewhat prone to mold,"

[catfish]

I'd like to add my 2 cents.


Con: If there is something wrong with it, (dammage or what ever), you won't know about it untill it's opened. Non-tubed cigars you'll know at the time of purchace.

[ncstogie]

Originally Posted by catfish

I'd like to add my 2 cents.


Con: If there is something wrong with it, (dammage or what ever), you won't know about it untill it's opened. Non-tubed cigars you'll know at the time of purchace.

good point

[AspiringGent]

Some excellent points here. I've always preferred to purchase non-tubed cigars just so I can see what I'm getting. Although I will add the following:

Pro: The tubes come in handy - can be used to protect cigars in a jacket pocket, or have holes drilled in to make a little humidifier, etc.

[e-man]

I always check every cigar I buy, so I take them out of the tube before I will consider purchasing it. I want to smell it, check out the wrapper, etc. More important I check for mold (which can be a problem for tubos if you haven't already realized that).

Usually, if you have problems getting the cigar out, it is too humid and/or has mold sticking the cigar to the cedar strip. Just be careful not to damage the wrapper when you slide the cigar in and out.

So, being it the tube doesn't have to mean you are buying the cigar site unseen. However, if you think about it, it's no different than buying a sealed box.

I also like to use the tubes as a portable humidor. I usually smoke Toro's, so I keep a couple of wide toro tubes on hand to accomodate most of my collection. I ususally smoke them the same day, so humidification isn't a problem.



I just pick a brand I like to smoke and buy the tubos version. Lately, I have been buying R&J silver tubos. I'm not sure what the line is called. They have the same gold label as the R&J Viejos, but aren't box pressed. I have a buffing wheel on my bench grinder. I use a little buffing compound to take off any ink/paint, and I put a mirror finish on it.

I also keep my expensive sticks in tubos as added protection. I put the caps on loosely so some air will still exchange, but they won't instantly dry out as fast if I accidenlty leave the lid cracked open, or forget to recharge my beads.

[warcollapse]

I've noticed with alot of tubes that they are too dry when i check them out. And crappier b&m's tend to treat them as if they don't need to be in the humidor at all... I concur with the mold problems as well as the space issue. The only nice thing i can say for them is they are great to recycle the tube for carry purposes.